The present invention relates to a seed distribution means which is used primarily for home gardens.
Many of the prior art devices for distributing seeds have generally involved a turning wheel assembly or drum assembly which contain a quantity of seeds and which discharged these seeds at allegedly fixed intervals along a furrow in the ground. Various problems have occurred through the use of such prior art devices which the present invention effectively avoids. For example, none of the prior art take into account the binding or bridging effect seeds have when they are pushed through a small hole thereby clogging the hole; nor have such devices taken into account the fact that as a perforated wheel or drum rotates the seeds contained therein may undesireably discharge through openings at points other than through those openings adjacent to the ground. Seeds may discharge off the top of the volume of seeds contained within a wheel or drum assembly as the perforations in the wheel assembly turn past the top portion of the seed volume before reaching the lowermost point of travel adjacent to the ground.
As a consequence of seed binding and/or seed discharging through undesired openings in the wheel or drum assembly, the prior art seed distributing devices fail to distribute the seeds evenly along the ground. The seeds may bind in the opening adjacent the ground as the wheel rotates thereby prohibiting the seeds from discharging and causing a interval between seeds to be greater than desired. Moreover, seeds may discharge through the lowermost opening and also discharge through an opening in the wheel or drum assembly as it passes the top portion of the volume of seeds thereby causing seeds to drop at a closer interval than desired.
One further consequence associated with seeds discharging from the top portion of seeds contained within the seed dispensing container through openings in the container adjacent thereto is that the seeds are discharged at an elevated level relative to the ground. If the seeds being discharged from the seed distribution device are extremely small and light weight, then dropping such seeds at an elevated level subjects them to the effects of the wind which can easily cause such seeds to blow away from the area which is to be planted.
The present invention avoids the problems commonly associated with the prior art devices by utilizing the effects of dual rotating chambers, one chamber surrounding the other, wherein the seeds contained within the inner chamber discharge into the outer chamber first, and thereafter through the outer chamber into the ground. By so doing, the seeds contained within the inner chamber may discharge from the top portion of the seed volume without falling to the ground at an undesired location and are not affected by the wind. Instead, the seeds in the inner chamber fall into the outer chamber where such seeds are uniformly distributed at spaced intervals only at the lowermost point of travel of the openings in the outer chamber.
As a consequence, undesired spacing intervals commonly obtained through the use of the prior art devices are substantially eliminated because each seed which is discharged from the inner chamber into the outer chamber of the present invention will not be discharged until the next opening in the outer chamber reaches its lowermost point of travel adjacent the ground. Furthermore, by only allowing the seeds to discharge at the lowermost point adjacent the ground, the present invention minimizes the effect of wind which commonly causes seeds distributed through the use of prior art devices to be blown away from the area to be planted.
It is the primary object of this invention to provide a powered seed dispensing device which avoids distribution of seeds at undesired intervals and further provides uniform distribution of seeds at a point closest to the ground, thereby substantially minimizing the adverse effects that wind may have upon the seeds.